Columbia-Montour, PA

Nestled in the heart of Central Pennsylvania, Columbia & Montour Counties are only a short half-day journey from a majority of East Coast cities.  The area is renowned for its rural beauty and outstanding adventure opportunities, but the quaint countryside also offers up a treasure trove of local history and culture.

The local landscape is comprised of idyllic river valleys, rolling hills and green farmlands, as well as charming riverside communities, forests, parks, and state gamelands.  The area boasts beautiful rails-to-trails for walking and biking as well as high-caliber races for the more competitive runners or bikers. In Montour County, the J. Manley Robbins Rail Trail is America’s oldest-known rails to trails system. 

One must-see outdoor attraction is Ricketts Glen State Park, located in the northeast corner of Columbia County and extending into nearby Luzerne and Sullivan Counties. In the park, hikers can enjoy a vast network of trails that take them past more than twenty stunning waterfalls. There is also a beach, lake, campground, kayak rentals, and much more.

The Montour Preserve is also an outdoor enthusiast’s dream with a 165-acre lake perfect for fishing and boating, a bird sanctuary, maple sugaring in the early spring, and plenty of great hiking trails. For history buffs and archaeology lovers, a one-acre exposed Mahantango shale pit at the Preserve is open to the public for finders-keepers fossil hunting from dawn until dusk.  For those looking for an aquatic adventure, the Susquehanna River is the longest and oldest river on the East Coast, and weaves directly through the area. The slow-moving Susquehanna is the perfect spot for a leisurely summer kayak, canoe, or tubing excursion. If fishing is on the mind, Fishing Creek is one of the best trout streams in the state.